Just Before Dawn
by nightofnyx7
Summary: This wasn't supposed to happen. This was supposed to be the happily ever after. First it happened to her grandfather. Then both of her parents. Now it's Mar'i's turn, and she doesn't know how to pick herself back up. But perhaps, it's okay to remember.


I fear the night.

The glow from the day slowly fades away, and darkness seeps into every corner. It swallows the light, chokes it. Night means uncertainty, blindness, cowardice.

Death.

Of course, my dad thrives on it. Why else would he whoop with joy as he swung from tower to tower in a black and blue body suit? The darkness is his friend, aiding him as he takes his enemies by surprise. A sudden chill, a metal clang, and then you're upside down as you're met with a smirk and a bad pun. The one and only Nightwing of Bludhaven was the prince of the night (as a certain Bat claimed the crown as King).

My mom was different. She didn't exactly blend into the night (especially when her hair was on fire). She drew her strength from the sun, brimming with radiance and passion. There was little subtlety in her actions: just a high voltage starbolt with deadly aim. She wore her heart on her sleeve, her emotions the center of every decision. Dad says I take after her in that area, but I'm still not sure it's a compliment.

They made a good team, Nightwing and Starfire. Night and Day. Darkness and Light. Dad could cool her fiery temper, Mom made him laugh. She managed to drag him out of the evidence room, and he brought her back down to Earth when she drifted too far out. I guess it was only natural that I came along to complete everything.

I thought it would be like that forever.

But the night always comes, no matter how bright the day was. And in my family, it has a history of claiming the ones we love.

* * *

It was stupid. So unbelievably _unfair._ She had faced the most unearthly demons: demented aliens, homicidal sisters, psychotic metahumans in Halloween costumes. But in the end, my mother was defeated by something so incredibly…human.

At first, we didn't think much of it. After all, the symptoms of a common flu was nothing to fret over. But a few days stretched into weeks, which turned into months. She grew weaker and frailer, her strength and glow dimming every passing day. She spent most of her time in bed, curled in a ball waiting for the pain to stop. All while her worried husband and daughter watched helplessly by her side.

When the results finally came back, it was worse than we feared. The disease found in her body had spread so quickly through her foreign DNA that it would have been declared terminal on the first sighting. There was nothing that the doctors could do. Not even the great Batman could save her now. All we could do now was wait.

The morning after the news came my father climbed on top of the roof and remained there for the rest of the day. No matter how many times Bruce or Alfred tried to coax him down, he stubbornly stayed put. Needing some comfort, my nine year-old self flew up to meet him on the roof. As I landed softly next to him, he turned to look at me. His deep blue eyes that once held laughter and light were now hollow, empty, and hopeless. He tucked a strand of my hair behind my ear and whispered, "I was the same age, Mar'i."

We sat there as the sun set behind the skyline, watching Bruce sped back to Gotham while dusk approached. It was a tender mercy Jason and Tim had volunteered to look after Bludhaven for the time being. Nightwing simply didn't have the heart to don the mask tonight. We probably could have stayed up there all night when I heard a soft cough behind me. I turned to face my mother on the roof, who looked exasperated with the both of us.

"You will both catch colds if you two stay up here all night." She sounded exhausted, but her eyes held a bit of amusement in the fading light.

My dad suddenly came to life. "Kory! What are you doing up here?"

My mother scooted next to me and stroked my hair. "Well, it does get a little lonely down there by myself, especially after yesterday. Besides, the sun is setting. It is tradition, is it not, dear Robin?"

Dad gave a timid smile at his old superhero name. But his demeanor changed quickly. "Kory, you should be resting."

My mother scoffed. "I have been resting far too much. I wish to do something more with my life."

"But Kory," my father sighed. "You're..."

"I do not have much time left, Richard. I want to spend time with you and Mar'i. I refuse to spend the rest of my life being afriad of even going outside."

Dad sighed. "I just don't want to lose you, Kory. At all."

There was an eerie silence on the roof as the inevitable truth sunk in. Wanting things to go back to normal, I tugged on my father's sleeve.

"Daddy, can you tell me a story?" I asked. He looked down at me with surprise before smiling.

"Only if your mother helps." he replied. Dad picked me up in his lap, just like he did when I was smaller, and pulled Mom close to him.

"Ok Mar'i," he started. "Let me tell you the time your mother first met a certain little Robin by almost destroying an entire city..."

* * *

Surprisingly, the next couple of months were considerably normal: school, work, training, patrol. We had even gone to see Paris so Mom could finally see the infamous "tower of love." We could almost pretend nothing was wrong.

Almost.

My mother tried not to let anyone see it, but she was slowly fading. More time in bed was necessary, the trips to the hospital were frequent. The medicine receipts piled higher, as well as our stack of bills. She slowly began to lose her strength, her eyesight, and finally, her ability of flight.

But she always managed to keep a smile on her face around me and Dad. On better days, she would take me on short walks and point out the most random things.

"Look at that little robin, Mar'i. Is it not beautiful?"

"But it's just a bird, Mommy."

"Just a bird? Hmm, on the surface yes. But perhaps there is more than what meets the eye. Just like you, my little Bumgorf."

Relatively, these were happy moments. But at last the dreaded day came, and it started out perfect.

Dad got work off early so we could go to the last night of the carnival. We ate too much cotton candy, failed at most of the games, and were about to go on the ferris wheel when my mother suddenly doubled over and grabbed onto my Dad for support.

"Kory?" He watched in horror as his wife looked up at him with terrified eyes as she struggled to breathe.

"Kory!" He scooped up my mom bridal style and rushed to the car, his daughter along in a tow.

When we finally got back to the house, we knew we only had minutes. My dad had layed her down on the bed, and cluctched her hand while stroking her hair.

"Mar'i." My mother rattled. "Come closer. I wish to see you better." She reached out for my hand and squeezed it weakly.

I didn't say a word as I looked up at my mother. Her fiery red hair had lost its luster a long time ago. It hung like a dull rusty curtain over her pale face. Her beauitful features were slowly eroding due to the harsh medicines. But her eyes were still a vibrant glowing green, full of Tamaranean energy—the same energy that flowed through my veins.

"Kory," My father's voice broke as he placed his forehead against hers. She smiled and closed her eyes.

"Richard," she breathed. "If I could only express to you how much you mean to me."

My father kissed her forehead. "I already know, Star. I've known for a very long time."

My mother drew me closer as she whispered, "Do not forget to smile, Mar'i. There is joy in this life if you look for it. Please, do not let your father forget that either. I love you, my little Starshine."

I cried as she held me, Dad wrapping his arms around the both of us as my mother gazed upon her little family for the last time.

* * *

"That's Pegasus, and over to the left a bit is Andromeda."

"Is that what the Tamaraneans call them?"

"No, they have weird names for constellations, with even weirder stories. I can't even pronounce most of them."

"I bet _I_ could."

"Okay fine, _Princess._ Nice to see that you're still humble as ever."

I smile as I slug Dad in the arm.

"Ow!" He complains. "You Tamaraneans seem to forget that your playful punches _hurt."_

"Quit being a baby and pass me the mustard."

Dad smirks as he gives me the large bottle with a straw sticking out. Our evening picnic by mom's grave seemed an odd sight to some, but we didn't care. Our little memorial marked seven years since my mother's passing. We spent the day with Gar, Rachel, and Vic at the pier as they told me the stories I had heard a thousand times. I never grew tired of hearing about my parents' adventures. Bruce and Damian came by the house later with about twenty floral arrangements to brighten up the grave. And once it hit 7 o'clock, my dad and I headed off to the cemetary to visit my mother.

Four years ago, Dad put his foot down. We were not going to just stare and cry at a headstone all day. So he packed a lunch along with scrapbooks into our picnic basket as we set off for the cemetery. He said Mom would have wanted us to throw a party or something to celebrate her life. The tradition had remained ever since.

"Speaking of Tamaran, I found this the other day when I was cleaning the attic." He pulls out a small white package and hands it to me. I remove the wrapping to discover a round magenta pendant, set in a silver casing. It's polished surface gleams in the moonlight.

"It was your mother's." Dad says. "She told me it was the only thing she could grab before she was taken by the Gordanians."

I hold up the pendant and and trace my finger over the worn Tamaranean markings on the edges. "It's beautiful."

"It's yours." Dad states simply.

I look at him in shock. "But...this is mom's. Doesn't it belong to you?"

Dad wraps my fingers around the pendant and looks at me with imploring eyes. "Mar'i, she would have wanted you to have it. Besides, you're the one who's got Tamaranean blood."

I sigh. "Like I even have a clue how to live up to that title. How am I supposed to control...this?" I feel a tingle up my arm as green energy collects around my closed fist. The starbolt wasn't refined and accurate like my mother's. It crackles and burns in the cool night air. Uncontrolled.

My dad gives me a wary look. "You'll learn, Mar'i. It just takes time."

My starbolt fizzes out as my emotions give way to grief. "I miss her."

"I know Starshine, I know. There's not a day that goes by that I don't miss her by my side." My dad draws his arm around my sagging shoulders and pulls me close to his strong chest. We stay that way for a while as the breeze blows my tousled hair away from my face.

"Dad?"

"Mhm?"

"Do you think Mom's watching us right now?"

He looks up at the shimmering constellations. "I know she is. She's probably dragging my parents around up in Heaven and gushing about how gorgeous her daughter is."

I let a small smile break through. "She really loved us, didn't she?"

Dad gazes back at me with intensity. "Mar'i, you were her world."

I crane my neck to see the stars above. We used to spend hours naming the constellations. Sometimes Mom would even bring me to meet Dad on patrol so we could climb the highest tower and see them a little closer.

That seemed like a lifetime ago.

"Dad, can you tell me a story?" I put on my "I'm-still-your-little-girl" face for the extra effect.

He laughs. "I'm pretty sure that's not a single one you haven't heard at least fifty times."

"Oh come one, there's got to be at least one you haven't told me yet."

He gazes off as he thinks for a moment. "Aha! I've got it!"

I lay my head on his shoulder as he goes off on one of his and mom's adventures. I close my eyes and try to picture my mother sitting next to us, laughing at Dad's stupid jokes while holding me close.

I open my eyes and smile. I'm a part of her legacy. Her's and Dad's. And even if she couldn't be here physically, I could still bring a part of her back down to Earth.

Perhaps it was time to let go of old fears. Accept and move forward. Like an old Bat once said, To conquer fear, you must become fear. Maybe I could do the same.

For if we did not have the night, then how could we see the stars?

* * *

 **Well that was...really angsty. But oddly sastifying. Probably didn't help that I was listening to "Married Life" from Up while I wrote.**

 **Reviews are welcome, as always. Don't forget to smile, my lovelies!**


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